The Ups and Downs of Life
by frustratedpopcorn
Summary: After Katniss Everdeen, a junior, is cheated on by who she thought was her real boyfriend, she starts get laughed at and teased by everyone. Well, almost everyone. When a new boy, Peeta Mellark, arrives in town, he helps Katniss through the ups and downs of her life. Peeta/Katniss, Modern Day
1. Chapter 1

**Hi! frustratedpopcorn here. Many of you may know me from my CatoxKatniss story, Betrayal. You should definitely check it out if you haven't XD **

**So, this is my first PeetaxKatniss story. I just wanted to give it a try and see what I can write. WARNING: Cato's gonna be the bad guy in the story! Kind of. **

**Please review! I would really love some suggestions and constructive criticism! Or maybe a compliment:) Tell me if I should continue or not, too. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Hunger Games**

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I pulled my dark hood over my eyes. I'm filled with dread as I head into the school; it's the first day of junior year, and I'm definitely not excited. I get the usual stares and disgusted looks from the people around me.

Glimmer Rambin, the girl I despise the most, glares at me from across the lot. Glimmer thinks she's so hot with all the makeup caked on her face, and all the miniskirts she wears. I can count on one the hand the number of times she has even worn normal clothing. In fact, in the several years I've known Glimmer, I've never seen her wear pants. She wears shorts even in midwinter.

Today, Glimmer's wearing extra-short denim cutoffs that can pass as underwear. A strapless flowery tank top is wrapped tightly around her bod. I see her sashaying over towards me, leading her group of sidekicks.

"What's up, _Catpiss_?" She sneers at me unattractively.

Cashmere Shine, a member of Glimmer's group, squeals in a nasally voice, "OMG, Glimmer, look! Cato's coming!"

With that, Glimmer completely forgets about me and runs- barely, in her five-inch heels -towards Cato Ludwig. My ex. I remember as clear as day when I found Cato cheating on me with Glimmer. He didn't even notice me when I'd banged the bedroom door wide open, exposing the two making out passionately with each other.

That was the freshmen year. Last year. I can't believe time can go so fast. The open wound Cato has caused in my heart still hasn't healed yet. It hurts me just to look into Cato's blue eyes. I remember how I used to describe them as "mesmerizing". From then on, I vowed never to love again. I don't want my heart to shatter and break the second time.

Cato doesn't even know how much pain he's caused me to have. I've been a loner this whole year, without any friends to support me and no family to love me. I had a messed up life. But I didn't give up, and I'm glad I didn't. I'm still trying to find the opportunity to release all my emotions and have a normal life.

Normal, though, seems so far as I continue into the double doors of the building. Someone kicks me in the behind. My braid swings around as I turn to see Gloss, Cashmere's brother. He whistles nonchalantly and tucks his hands in his pockets as I glare at him with pure hatred.

I grasp my schedule between my hands as I open the same rusty old locker I've been using for the past few years. The hinges creak loudly as I open the locker. Heads turn; people stare. I ignore them and trudge to my first class, AP English.

Surprisingly, as a person who gets "picked on", I get pretty good grades. My overall grade in English last year was an A minus, which I'm sure was better than that blonde bimbo over there flirting with Cato. Otherwise known as _Glitter_. My best grade was Choir. I always enjoyed singing when I was younger. I especially loved the song my dad sang to me before he passed away: Deep in the Meadow.

I can feel the tears welling up in my eyes when I think of my dad. He was always the supporting parent. My mom, was, well, messed up. She didn't have enough money to raise me so she sent me to my Aunt Susan. I have no idea where she is now. Aunt Susan was never nice to me. She made me do chores around the house and always made me do the dirtiest jobs.

I take a seat at one of the desks, and lay out the textbooks I need. Mr. Abernathy, my English teacher, was always drunk. When he was actually sober, which is pretty rare, he compliments me on my essays and how I should also take AP History and AP Statistics. I almost never receive that kind of honor, so I always feel warm and fuzzy on the inside when Mr. Abernathy says that.

As Mr. Abernathy stumbles into the classroom, books in hand, it's already five minutes after eight thirty. He's drunk again, on the first day of school. I heave a sigh, while someone across the room snaps for me to breathe quieter. A scowl makes its way across my face. What a great way to start off the new school year.

Mr. Abernathy slams his palms on the top of his desk, signaling for us to shut up. The whole room quiets down surprisingly quickly.

"Hiya, class of AP English!" He hollers, spreading his arms out wide dramatically.

"Hey, Mr. Abernathy." We mumble back.

"Since today is the first day of school, you can have a free period!" He announces. The class cheers, that was not unexpected. Mr. Abernathy gives us free periods regularly, especially on the days when he's drunk.

I never know what to do during free periods. Yesterday, I begged my Aunt Susan on my knees to buy me a new spiral notebook. And she bought me one. I was overjoyed, and I still am. I doodle randomly on the cover, and close my eyes to relax.

I think of all the times Cato and I had together, too bad it was all a dare. A stupid, stupid dare for Cato to go out with me for a year. We were both immature sophomores, but I just couldn't forgive Cato. His apology was too emotionless and fake. Cato and I never interacted with each other again. We could barely even look each other in the eye.

I open my eyes and see that groups have already started to form around the desks. Glimmer and Cashmere were chatting flirtatiously with Cato, who looked blissfully happy. I was the one sitting out again, sulking quietly in the corner. Might as well get out of the classroom than to stay in the chaotic place. I packed my stuff, shoving everything in my worn black backpack. The Swiss Gear metal plus sign was already falling off of it, daring me to stitch it back on.

I sling the backpack over my shoulder, and slink quietly out of the room. The hallways were empty, but the occasional shouts and screams from classrooms were heard. Man, my English class is actually quiet compared to the Calculus class. They were loud; they must have a free period also.

The door of the Calculus classroom creaked open. I turn around and start walking abruptly down the again, not wanting to be seen. But, this is not my lucky day. Footsteps sounded after me, and I increased my speed to a fast walk. The person behind me also moved faster.

"Wait up!" A faint voice yelled in the distance.

I became frantic as I rounded a corner and the person was still following me. Are they trying to stalk me or something?

I was out of breath when I finally plopped down on a bench in front of the school. It became eerily quiet except for the chirping of birds and whistling of the breeze. I calmed down and silently leaned back against the uncomfortable wooden bench. I closed my eyes, and relaxed, enjoying the wind.

Moments later, someone approached the bench and sat down next to me. "Dang, you can seriously run fast." He said. "I'm sorry if I scared you. You're just the real sane person I've seen all day!" He laughs lightly and takes a deep breath. "You should see the other girls. They crowd around me like I'm a famous celebrity or something!"

I could tell it was a guy because of the deep voice, but I couldn't tell who it was. I cautiously open my eyes and see someone with short, expertly gelled blond hair breathing heavily. It wasn't anyone I could recognize.

"Who are you?" I ask, sitting up. The boy turned around and his baby blue eyes meet my stormy gray ones. His blue eyes were different than Cato's. Cato's eyes were icy and vicious looking. This guy's blue eyes were warm and had welcoming feeling to them. He had a defined jaw, and high cheekbones.

"Oh, sorry for not introducing myself. Name's Peeta. Peeta Mellark." He held out his hand. I refused to take it. Peeta shrugged, and I apologized for my rudeness. I _apologized_. I've never really talked to anyone in a year and the second thing I say is an apology.

"Sorry. I'm Katniss. You can call me Kat if you want." I introduce myself. Peeta smiles pleasantly at me, and I feel a foreign sensation in my body. Kind of warm and fuzzy, but unlike the feelings I get when Mr. Abernathy compliments me. He holds out his hand again and this time I take it graciously.

"Nice to meet you, Kat."

"Likewise." I reply.

"So…are you new to this school?" I ask. I've never been the first to start the conversation. I always answered them with simple "yes's" and "no's". I feel more confident talking to this boy. Neither Peeta nor I knew that this easy question would soon bloom into a friendship, or maybe even more.

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**Review, please? *Puppy dog eyes*. By the way, I will update Betrayal soon!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Yay! Lots of reviews/followers/favorites! Thank you guys! I really appreciate it. **

**I just wanted to let everyone know that Katniss is a normal kid, she's just by herself. She looks just like in the movie except for the clothes and you know, all that. **

**Okay, so I'm going somewhere really rural over the summer, so I won't be able to update in a loooooong time. And finals are coming up, so…:/**

**Anyway, remember to review! :) **

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Hunger Games**

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Peeta and I started to chat, and we learned a lot about each other. He was also a junior, and his father owned a famous bakery in town. Peeta boasted about how his father made the best cheese buns. What a coincidence, but cheese buns are one of my favorite foods.

Peeta moved to Panem High because the hospital here was one of the best in the country. His mother had some sort of illness that could only allow her to move the upper part of her body. It was really confusing, but I could keep up.

I even told Peeta some things about my family. This is so not _me_, I thought. I usually never share anything about myself. I'm usually the person who stays at the back of the classroom and sulks in their seat; I never start conversations. But, I have no idea why, I'm opening up to this guy, Peeta.

I was hanging onto Peeta's every word when the bell rang. "Already?" I whine. I quickly covered my mouth. Shoot. But Peeta just chuckles.

"What class do you have next?" He asks as he stands up.

"Umm, I have American History."

"Cool, me too." Peeta says.

We head back into the school. Immediately, Peeta is swarmed by a million girls. "Where have you been?" They all squeal.

"Omigosh, look! It's the new guy!" Some whisper in hushed voices.

"What's he doing with that loser?" Others say loudly, purposely for me to hear. Glimmer's voice stands out the most, though. "Peeta! There you are! I though you we gone! You had me worried! I was searching the whole building for you!"

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Cato fuming by the lockers. He was clenching and unclenching his fist. Cato looked like he was about to hit something, and hopefully it won't be Peeta. I knew it wasn't going to be my lucky day. Cato stalks up to Peeta and punches him right on the nose. That's gotta hurt.

Glimmer and the other girls stare at Cato like he'd just sprouted two heads or something. "You're just jealous cuz you're not the most popular anymore." Glimmer sneers.

"You're _my_ girlfriend, remember?" Cato says in shock.

"Not anymore. I like Peeta now. Go find someone else. Like Cash. She's a pretty good girlfriend…" Glimmer pushes Cashmere towards Cato while she flails around crazily. Cato glares at the two girls with his hands stuffed into his pockets.

Meanwhile, I pull Peeta away from the crowd and hand him a tissue from my backpack. "See? I told you they surround me like a celebrity or something." He says. I nod in agreement.

"Stay away from Glimmer and her group. They're like…I don't know. People who don't even know anything." I finish lamely. But Peeta seems to understand.

The warning bell rings, and Peeta pulls me along as he rushes down the hall. "Can't be late for any of the classes on the first day of school!" He reminds. We both plop into the last two seats just as the final bell rings through the whole school. An orderly woman steps through the doorway right after. She drops her books on her desk and introduces herself.

"Hello, class. Welcome to American History in Panem High School. My name is Ms. Wiress." I noticed she had earrings with twisted wire on them. "First off, you will introduce yourself to the class, tell us your favorite thing to do, and you favorite color." Ah, the whole introduction thing they do every year. "Marvel, you start first…"

I don't pay any attention until it was Peeta's turn. He stood up cautiously, and said, "Hi, my name's Peeta Mellark, I like to…paint, and my favorite color is sunset orange." The girl by me turned around the face her friend and they both started giggling uncontrollably. _What's so funny?_ I wanted to ask. But, by then, it was my turn.

"Hello, my name is Katniss Everdeen. I like to hunt, and my favorite color is forest green." I say flawlessly. I'm surprised, but I feel pleased too. I usually stuttered or said the wrong thing when I'm in front of people.

The rest of the class passed by in a blur, as well as the rest of morning. Turns out Peeta only had one class the same as me. I couldn't help but feel disappointed. I approached the cafeteria after Chemistry, where we did the same introductions thing. I couldn't spot Peeta in the sea of people, but recognized him by his light blond hair when he came in the door.

He was, again, surrounded by girls. Once Peeta saw me, he mouthed: "Save me!" I snickered and I walked over to the crowd. "I'm afraid Peeta here will be with me." I said calmly towards the screaming girls. Immdiately the noise died down and everybody started to slink away. Except Glimmer. She stayed awhile longer, long enough to say, "Look. It's the loser again. Watch your back, _Catpiss_. Peeta is mine and only mine." Then Glimmer marches away, proud of her own little speech. That nickname is getting really old.

"Don't worry about her." Peeta says, patting my shoulder lightly. "She isn't going to do anything. She's just jealous."

"Why are you with me, anyway?" I ask abruptly, turning around to face him.

"Huh?" The question obviously caught him by surprise. "What do you mean? Do you not want me to be with you or something?"

"No! I mean, why do you want to be with me when you can be with all those other girls?"

Peeta makes a face. "Why would I be with them when you're here? I just don't think they're my type…" he waved toward the general direction of Glimmer's group.

"But…I'm the loser. I'm boring. I don't have a life." I grumble.

"There must be a reason, right? I mean, something must've happened."

"Yeah. That's it."

"I can help." Peeta says softly.

"I don't need help." I reply coldly. "Okay, what I mean is, I'm perfectly fine. I don't _need_ help."

"Fine, fine, Miss Moody Pants."

"_Miss Moody Pants_? Are you serious?"

Peeta chuckles. "C'mon, let's go get our lunch."

After we get our lunch, which only consists of a turkey sandwich and a drink, Peeta and I stop in front of the cafeteria. "Where are we gonna sit?" I whisper.

"Well, Katniss, I don't really know. I met someone kind of nice today, his name's Thresh. Do you want to sit with him? He's over there." Peeta whispers back.

"You mean Thresh Okeniyi?" I ask incredulously. Thresh was actually friends with Cato until Cato cheated on me and went with Glimmer. Then Thresh started his own little group. All my old friends except for Cato were in it. I don't want to face them anymore, but nonetheless, I can't be alone forever. Wait- did I actually think that? Looks like my thoughts are changing.

"Oh yeah. Thresh Okeniyi." Peeta responds to my question.

"Okay, we can go sit with them." I shrug.

Peeta leads me over to their table. There was only one seat left. I quickly made eye contact with Peeta. The group was glancing at up warily now, and I took a deep breath. "May Peeta and I sit here?" I ask.

"Oh, Katniss. You're finally back." Madge, one of my old friends, says sarcastically.

"I know. After, like, ten years." Delly sneers. The others nod in agreement. Rue, one of my best friends since grade school, remains quiet. She was always the sweet, calming one. But, even best friends can betray you.

Rue suddenly speaks up, "You know what, Katniss? I really don't think you should be with us anymore. You betrayed me. You have no idea how much upset I was after you left me. It was all because of one guy. You left us, Katniss. This is such a shameful way to come back. By coming just because you have no other choice."

Her words struck me like lightning. "What?" I managed to choke out. Where was the sweet, caring Rue I knew before? How did she become so heartless? Or was I the heartless one? I felt myself crouching to the cafeteria floor. My tray clattered to the ground noisily, and I rocked myself back and forth trying to calm down.

"You heard me, Katniss." Rue says with no sympathy in her voice.

Peeta awkwardly helps me up as I sniffle and wipe my nose on a tissue. I bet my mascara is running down my face like a black ink river right now. I really needed to redo my long braid since it's about to fall apart any minute. I probably look like a mess right now.

The group returns to their discussion and ignores me completely as Peeta and I head toward a table near the cafeteria doors. We both sit down in one of the hard plastic chairs. "What happened before, Katniss? Before you became…" he seemed reluctant as he finished, "a loner?"

"It was all because of Cato." I pick at the bread and chew the insides of my mouth after my answer.

"You mean the big blond guy who punched me?"

"Yeah."

"So, what happened?" Peeta inquired.

I remember all of my happy memories as if they happened yesterday…

_I was walking down the hallway to my next class when Cato appeared out of nowhere. He was blushing furiously and was continuously running his hand through his hair. "Nice seeing you, Cato." I say. I didn't know anything about Cato then, except for his name. _

_"Hey, Katniss.'" He replies. _

_"How do you know my name?" I ask curiously. There were more than a thousand people in this school? How can he possibly know my name? _

_"Oh, of course I know your name!" Cato replies._

_"So, what do you want? I have to get to class soon." I gazed into his eyes. They were a deep cerulean blue, and very mesmerizing. Boy, I really have a thing for blue eyes. I only have boring gray ones._

_"I have a confession to make. Katniss, when I first laid eyes on you, I knew I was in trouble. I was too deep. I was drowning. I have to admit to you, Katniss, that I was drowning in love. Katniss, would you like to go with me somewhere tonight?" Cato says in a loud and clear voice._

_Well that was cheesy. I could even tell by Cato's I was speechless. "Umm, well, that's a lot to process, Cato." Was my reply. But later, I agreed, of course. _

I wish I never agreed. I explained to Peeta every single detail, from falling for Cato, finding out it was all a dare, and to him cheating on me with Glimmer. Peeta's mouth was open agape. "I don't know what to say, Kat. You've been through a lot." He says.

I nod. "Yup."

"So, you take my offer for help?" Peeta asks. His blue eyes bore into my mine. Have I mentioned how mesmerizing they were? Much more mesmerizing than the Cato-blue. Dang, I've only known this guy for a few hours! Am I seriously falling for him? I stuff the rest of the sandwich in my mouth.

"I'll think about it." I pick up my tray and dump it in the trash. I proceed to wash my face and to clean myself up.

I meet Peeta after school by the front door.

"Walking home?" He asks.

"Yeah."

"I'm taking the bus. By the way, Katniss, have you decided yet?"

I really did think about his offer during the classes. I came up with a short and definite answer: "Yes." If the doors to my life weren't completely open to Peeta before, they are wide open now. He can know everything and anything, not that I mind, but, this is the first time I've shared my life story to someone. Peeta is one special guy if he knows this.


End file.
